1968-69 Taegu Korea Reversible Tour Jacket, Dragon and Korea Map on Black Satin, Fighting Tigers on Purple
1968-69 Taegu Korea Reversible Tour Jacket, Dragon and Korea Map on Black Satin, Fighting Tigers on Purple
- Dispatch
- Prepared and sent from Tokyo within 7–14 days, often sooner, or as arranged
- Arrival
- United States · usually 4–7 days after dispatch, insured and tracked
- Import
Duties and customs · View the estimate
A guide for this piece: about $119, based on the 10% US charge on the declared value of goods made in Japan.
The final figure is set by US Customs and depends on where the piece was made and the kind of object it is. Many antiques over a century old carry no ordinary duty; most jewellery and leather goods add a single-digit rate.
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- Sizing
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- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
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A dated Korea tour jacket from 1968 and 1969, its black satin back embroidered with a white dragon coiling around an amber map of the peninsula above a Taegu banner, reversing to purple satin with fighting tigers.
The Piece
American forces never left Korea after the armistice, and through the 1960s servicemen at Camp Henry and the air base at Taegu commissioned tour jackets in the same spirit as their fathers had in Japan. This one records its owner's tour on a yellow banner reading '68 69 Taegu Korea', with 'KOREA' arched above in gold block letters.
The centrepiece is a white and grey dragon wrapped around an amber map of the peninsula, outlined in green and stitched with place names from Pyongyang down to Pusan. Dragons with red flame accents descend both sleeves, and two more coil on the chest beneath the owner's initials, 'JER', in gold.
Turn it inside out and it becomes a purple satin jacket with a pair of roaring tigers at the chest and a tiger crouched among bamboo beneath Mount Fuji on the back. The knit rib collar, cuffs and hem are charcoal, and the brass zip has worn to a soft gold.
It is a generous fit for the period: shoulder 48 cm, chest 57 cm, length 57 cm and sleeve 59 cm, equivalent to a modern large.
Details
- Designer: Unsigned Korean tour-jacket tailor
- Season: Dated 1968-69
- Model / ref: Reversible Korea tour jacket
- Material: Acetate satin; rayon thread embroidery; knit rib trims
- Colour: Black / purple
- Made in: Korea (believed)
- Tagged size: No size label (fits a modern L)
- Measurements: Shoulder 48 cm · Chest (pit to pit) 57 cm · Sleeve 59 cm · Length 57 cm
- Included: Jacket only
Condition
- Fading and creasing to the black satin, as pictured.
- Uneven fading and marks to the purple side, notably at the sleeves.
- Embroidery complete on both sides.
- Rib knits sound with light wear.
- Zip works; some wear to the pull.
Condition grade B on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
The labels, materials, stitching, hardware and construction are examined together and documented in Japan before dispatch; anything that cannot be confirmed is stated plainly in the description. Every piece carries the Japonista authenticity guarantee. Hang on a broad padded hanger away from sun and damp; any cleaning should go to a specialist familiar with vintage acetate satin and hand embroidery.
Delivery from Japan
Packed by hand in Japan and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything before you buy, and see our published policy.
Every figure above is taken by hand with the garment laid flat, in centimetres. Lay a shirt or jacket you already love beside them and allow a centimetre or two of margin, the quiet safeguard on a final sale. Our size guide to tops and jackets turns pit-to-pit figures into US, UK, EU and Japanese sizes, and for anything it leaves open the curator team replies within one Tokyo business day.
Considered offers are welcome through Send an Offer, and each one is reviewed personally. Pieces over $1,000 may be reserved over several payments with Layaway Privilege™.
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Dated Service Pieces
If you are tracing a jacket from a particular base or year in Korea, Japan or Vietnam, our Hunting Salon can search for it. Our Hunting Salon™ locates a specific reference across Japan’s private collector circles, then inspects, documents and delivers it to you. Begin a Hunting Salon™ request →
Collectors also search: korea tour jacket 1968 · taegu korea souvenir jacket · vintage korea map jacket · reversible tour jacket dragon · 1960s korea sukajan · vintage tour jacket purple tiger · camp henry taegu jacket · korea souvenir jacket dated
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